Join DBusiness magazine for its April Breakfast Series conversation on the 2022 Commercial Development Forecast at The Gem Theatre in Detroit on Tuesday, April 5. MEDC’s Senior Vice President for Community Development Michele Wildman will be participating in a panel discussion centered around upcoming trends and strategies that challenge the 2022 metro Detroit real estate scene. Attendees will also receive breakfast and one-of-a-kind networking opportunities.

MEDC’s Pure Michigan Business Connect is partnering with Automation Alley to host a pitch competition during Integr8 2022 for Michigan manufacturers interested in competing for a 3D printer. Interested manufacturers should submit an application as to how the industrial 3D printer would solve a labor, capacity or process challenge and support their business overall. Selected applicants will be invited to an in-person pitch competition on May 10 during the Integr8 conference. Businesses interested in participating must complete an application by April 7. A separate registration is required to attend the Integr8 conference.

MEDC’s Pure Michigan Business Connect is partnering with the Michigan Diversity Council (MiDiCo) to host a virtual Meet the MiDiCo Buyers event on Monday, April 25. MiDiCo is a buyer group from West Michigan that includes buyers like Grand Valley State University, Kellogg, Stryker, Consumers Energy and Bronson. This event will lead MiDiCo buyers to identify diverse Michigan suppliers to advance their key organizational objectives in procurement. Event will include one-on-one buyer-supplier meetings, as well as a panel discussion on how to be competitive in obtaining new business from MiDiCo buyers. Interested suppliers should submit an application by April 8. General event registration is required and separate from the application.

Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced this week that 16 of the state’s Michigan Works! agencies have received grants totaling $4 million to provide young adults with a meaningful introduction to the world of work, including jobs skills, on-site, hybrid, and virtual career exploration and preparation activities, and earned income. The Young Professionals program aligns with Michigan’s Sixty by 30 goal to increase the number of working-age adults with a skill certificate or college degree to 60 percent by 2030.

A recent episode of The Michigan Opportunity podcast features Denise Graves, University Relations Director at the MEDC. Graves joins host Ed Clemente as they dive into the complex but rewarding world of tech transfer. In her role, she interacts with Michigan’s 15 public universities, key entrepreneurial stakeholders and investors, to manage statewide programs that support collaboration and the commercialization of early-stage technology. She shares how university professors and the private sector work together for innovation. You can also read the transcript from the conversation.

Michigan Economic Development Corporation helps to connect businesses to new resources, meet new partners and access the additional capital they need from the start. If your business needs support to reach its new potential, the MEDC is available to help. Visit michiganbusiness.org/pure-partnership to find customized business assistance.

MEDC continues to support businesses and communities across the state. Learn more about our economic and recovery resources currently available or read more about the impact our programs are having and our COVID-19 response.